The Group:
The Legal and Compliance team consists of lawyers, compliance specialists and other professionals across the globe who bring to the team various kinds of expertise. On the legal side, we have commercial, regulatory, M&A, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, privacy and employment expertise in-house as well as broad-based international legal experience to support the company’s 12,000+ employees working in wholly owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. The Compliance team has expertise in overseeing the compliance processes and practices of regulated credit ratings, investment management, investment research and benchmark administration businesses.
The Legal Department coordinates and oversees Morningstar’s use of external counsel around the world.
The Role:
Morningstar, Inc., a leading global provider of independent investment research, is looking for a specialist in the Global Regulatory Strategy and Advisory Team, Legal. The role will be a legal resource on identifying regulatory issues that do or may affect Morningstar’s North American operations and advising on how to reactively or proactively address them. This position directly reports to Senior Regional Counsel, North America, who reports to Global Head of Regulatory and Government Affairs Strategy , Legal.
Responsibilities:
While not meant to be a comprehensive list of functions, principal day-to-day responsibilities of this role in North America include:
- Advising the business on regulatory strategy and risk, including with respect to regulatory matters associated with strategic initiatives, artificial intelligence, and new business line development.
- Advising Compliance on the management of Morningstar’s regulatory compliance responsibilities and consulting with external parties, as appropriate.
- Serving as one of Morningstar’s contacts and negotiators with regulatory bodies and government agencies.
- Advising on strategy for defending and settling any regulatory action or other related matters involving any of Morningstar’s regulated businesses.
- Assisting with formal examinations or investigations by a regulator, regulatory registrations, and written submissions in response to consultations from regulators, as necessary.
- Advising the Compliance Team in internal investigations, and development and implementation of policies, guidelines and other documents pertaining to regulatory requirements applicable to Morningstar’s regulated businesses, as necessary.
- Staying current on regulations and other changes in regulatory requirements that could impact Morningstar’s businesses.
Qualifications:
- Law degree and qualified to practice in New York or Illinois, or other relevant US State
- At least 5 years of financial services or securities law experience in a North American jurisdiction
- Structured finance transactional experience, credit rating experience, or other financial services compliance/regulatory experience required
- Experience in dealing with regulators is an advantage
- Proficiency with artificial intelligence is required
- Investment advisor and asset management regulatory experience is beneficial
Must be admitted to practice law or eligible for admission to practice as in-house counsel in the jurisdiction where located
- Integrity and a high degree of professional ethics
- Excellent judgement and analytical skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including excellent, clear drafting
- Ability to work efficiently and independently, prioritize workflow, and meet deadlines.
Compensation and Benefits
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Physical Health
Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
Emotional Health
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Social Health
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
Total Cash Compensation Range
$147,550.00-226,233.33Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
001_MstarInc Morningstar Inc. Legal EntitySkills Required
- Law degree
- Qualified to practice law in New York, Illinois, or another relevant U.S. state
- At least five years of financial services or securities law experience in a North American jurisdiction
- Structured finance transactional experience, credit rating experience, or other financial services compliance or regulatory experience
- Proficiency with artificial intelligence
- Admitted to practice law or eligible for admission to practice as in-house counsel in the jurisdiction where located
- Experience dealing with regulators
- Investment advisor and asset management regulatory experience
- Integrity and a high degree of professional ethics
- Excellent judgment and analytical skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including clear drafting
- Ability to work efficiently and independently, prioritize workflow, and meet deadlines
What the Team is Saying
Morningstar Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Policies include a paid sabbatical every four years and flexible PTO covering vacation, sick, and personal days, alongside paid volunteer time. Feedback suggests these features create meaningful flexibility and rest opportunities beyond standard leave plans.
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Parental & Family Support — A global minimum of 16 weeks paid parental leave for primary caregivers (up to 8 weeks for secondary) and at least six weeks of paid caregiving leave are publicly stated, with adoption assistance also available. These provisions indicate robust support for families during key life events.
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Retirement Support — U.S. materials document a 401(k) match of $0.75 per $1 up to 7% of pay and no‑cost access to Morningstar retirement tools. This combination strengthens long‑term savings and planning for employees.
Morningstar Insights
What We Do
We are a global investment research and financial data company with 40-plus offices across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Our products and services are used daily by individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, retirement plan providers, and institutional investors. We provide data, research, and analysis across managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. The financial system can have real barriers—hidden information, friction that can slow decisions, and forces that can limit transparency and access. We work to remove them, bringing independent research, connected data, and investor-first tools to a system that needs more clarity. The people doing this work span research, technology, design, product, sales, and functional areas. We build many of our products in-house, so the work can connect directly to the tools investors use to make real financial decisions.
Why Work With Us
Morningstar’s missing is to empower investor success. We can only do that if our people feel empowered. That means finding people who think independently, bring a wide range of backgrounds with analytical rigor and genuine intellectual curiosity to the work.
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Morningstar Teams
Morningstar Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Across most of our offices globally, employees work four days a week in the office and one day from home. We recognize that life doesn't always fit a fixed schedule and offer programs that can help provided increased workplace flexibility.
